Help an aspiring Let's Player out?

[TheLastSamurai14]

Greetings, fellow Escapists.

I'm starting a Let's Play of Half-Life this weekend, and I'm fairly nervous. It will be the first LP that I've ever done, and I've got a fairly good idea of how I'm going to do it:

The game will be played in 15 minute sessions, as I plan to upload this LP to YouTube. This will allow me to practice for each session in advance, to ensure that I die as little as possible during the actual recording process. The commentary will be recorded after the gameplay. I'll be using Audacity for audio recording and editing. If the LP goes smoothly and I get some positive reception, I'll start doing other Valve games and such.

However, I've still got some problems that need resolved. I'm very low on funds at the moment. I'll need to find a free video recording program that doesn't leave a watermark. I'm going to need a decent, free video editing program[footnote]Windows Movie Maker is an option, but I'd prefer not to resort to it, as it isn't very versatile from my experiences with it[/footnote]. If you can't really find anything along those lines to assist me, I would appreciate tips that would benefit my commentary.

Keep in mind that I'm fairly skilled at FPS games, but that I'm not too great a public speaker.

Thanks in advance for your help, guys. Once I start the LP, I'll make sure to link you to the first video.

 

[kits456]

To record, Virtualdub and to edit, Videospin.

 

[Asehujiko]

Have you tried camstudio? It's free and I can't recall ever seeing it's watermark anywhere. Otherwise, fraps is probably your cheapest option at ?30. I have no knowledge of editors. As for your speech, make notes on what/when to talk about and record several takes, listen to them all, then pick/splice together the one that sounds the best. Also keep your pronunciation in mind. most people descend into mumbling when they aren't talking to somebody directly.

 

[Cooperblack]

1. Don't swear - it annoys a boatload of people.

2. Never ever eat or drink while you're on microphone.(Believe it or not there are LP's who doesn't understand something this simple).

3.Keep your commentary related to the game - Yes you might just have gotten a huge unfair bill for parking in the wrong place but you know.. your audience ain't really interested in hearing about your personal battle for free parking everywhere.

4. Make sure you Lp games you really like(enthusiasm shines though - this is really important).

5. If you really need a intro then make sure it's short, easiest way to loose wiervers is forcing them to sit though your 2 minute photoshop masterpiece before getting to the actual LP'ing.

 

[Baby Tea]

Well for video recording software, there are a few options.
Camstudio is one:
http://camstudio.org/

And here is a blog post with a few more options:
http://techie-buzz.com/softwares/top-free-screen-recorders-to-record-your-screen-activities.html

As for video editing, since you're just putting your voice under the game, I wouldn't worry about 'versatility'. Don't try to have fancy titles or anything. Just fade into the menu, and start talking. Get fancy when you've mastered your craft, otherwise, concentrate on that.

As for the recording of your voice, allow me to offer some better help that way! I'm a producer for a radio station, and most of what I do is voice recording. So while I'm not verseed in the ways of Camstudio, I AM versed in the ways of making sure your recording doesn't sound like crap.

First and foremost: Write out what you're going to say. Especially since you admitted you're not a great public speaker. You know what kills a VO session? Lots of 'uhhhh' and 'ummmm'. A way to help avoid that is to script everything. Exactly what you're going to say. And write it like you talk, since you WILL be saying it.

Secondly: Practice what you wrote. Now that you've got your script, practice it. Over, and over, and over again. It's one thing to have it written out, but you don't want to sound like you're reading a script. You want to sound like you're talking. So please, for the love of Pete, practice.

Third: Smile when you read. Yup, you heard me. LPs are supposed to be fun, so smile and have fun. Don't be introverted, don't be quiet. You're the one taking the watcher on the journey, so take the lead and have fun with it. And smile. You can hear when someone is smiling, and it makes a huge difference.

Having a good mic and a quiet place to record is also important, but those can changed easily. Sounding terrible (Mumbling, 'uhhhhh', silence, etc) can't. So work on that first.

There you go: My advice.
Hope it turns out!

 

[Silenthillreturnz]

Lol i like third one

 

[BlindTom]

Try not to be like any of these people:

 

[JochemDude]

Snip

Pro tip 1
Dude you're gonna need to do a lot of networking, you need to know the right people. You don't wanna end up like the so many Let's Players out there with 500 videos and 200 subscribers. Ride the fame of other people, by doing Co-op, multiplayer and such with popular Let's Players.

Pro tip 2
Speak you're mind all the time, nothing is more annoying then listening to some awkward silence. Look around you and comment on pretty much anything you see.
Search You Tube for a LP'er called 'SSoHPKC' he has over 6000 videos and manages to keep things interesting all the time.

Pro tip 3
Be a character, what makes you're personality different then anyone else's? Those traits should be used to make you're commenting style different. Quoting Pulp Fiction 'That you are a character, doesn't mean you have character'
This guy is a good example of that, search You Tube for 'SlyFoxHound' he's done just that and the result is that he has a good, but very eccentric and hyperactive commenting style and just that brought him to victory.

On a side note, don't do post commentary. LP's you watch for who's doing them, it's the hilarity of the moments and the problems that you have that make them interesting to watch.

Hope this helps you.

 

[TheLastSamurai14]

Thanks for the replies so far, guys. Let me just put in some input on some of the more prominent points you made. I've put them in spoilers, which are categorized under each user's suggestions.

First, a general response to some frequent tips: I was thinking about using Camstudio, as it's one a friend of mine, Josh, uses. He's always said that it's really great, but I guess it flew over my head when looking for software. I'm glad that it's so well received in the eyes of the community. Your points about enthusiasm are helpful too. I'm not the best when it comes to enthusiasm, I'll admit that right now, but emphasizing it will surely help out.

Spoiler: Asehujiko's suggestions

As for your speech, make notes on what/when to talk about and record several takes, listen to them all, then pick/splice together the one that sounds the best. Also keep your pronunciation in mind. most people descend into mumbling when they aren't talking to somebody directly.

I knew I was going to be scripting this, hence my decision to avoid live commentary. I'd be focused on the game and not on the script, and I'd like those to both be as complimentary to eachother as possible. As for pronunciation, I knew I'd have to work on that a bit. Every once in a while, I'll stumble over my words when speaking to someone, but since I'll have a script, I should be fine for the most part, especially if I have multiple takes to go off of.

Spoiler: Cooperblack's suggestions

1. Don't swear - it annoys a boatload of people.

Thanks for the advice. I didn't even think about this aspect. Luckily, I'm not too heavy in my swearing, so I'm sure this won't be too bad of an issue.

2. Never ever eat or drink while you're on microphone.(Believe it or not there are LP's who doesn't understand something this simple).

Not to worry. I don't ever have any food or drink at my desk even when I'm in a Skype session with some friends. I'm especially not going to do it when recording an LP. I've also made a note to silence my phone when I'm recording both the gameplay and commentary.

3.Keep your commentary related to the game - Yes you might just have gotten a huge unfair bill for parking in the wrong place but you know.. your audience ain't really interested in hearing about your personal battle for free parking everywhere.

I tend to stay on topic when I'm talking about something. In a genre as action-heavy as FPSs, I doubt I would have time to delve into such topics, anyway, as I'd be focused on commentating about the game itself, or little tidbits about it that generally go unnoticed.

Spoiler: Baby Tea's suggestions

As for video editing, since you're just putting your voice under the game, I wouldn't worry about 'versatility'. Don't try to have fancy titles or anything. Just fade into the menu, and start talking. Get fancy when you've mastered your craft, otherwise, concentrate on that.

I'm not too sure if I want to fade into the menu, or just start/end my commentary at the opportune break in the action, and then fade in and out at those moments. I know I'll be stopping at those points, because I wouldn't really want to throw a viewer straight into a gunfight, but I've always felt that the menu can really kill the immersion, even at the beginning of a video.

First and foremost: Write out what you're going to say. Especially since you admitted you're not a great public speaker. You know what kills a VO session? Lots of 'uhhhh' and 'ummmm'. A way to help avoid that is to script everything. Exactly what you're going to say. And write it like you talk, since you WILL be saying it.

Like I said to Asehujiko, I knew going in that I'd be scripting this, so this isn't really a problem. However...

Secondly: Practice what you wrote. Now that you've got your script, practice it. Over, and over, and over again. It's one thing to have it written out, but you don't want to sound like you're reading a script. You want to sound like you're talking. So please, for the love of Pete, practice.

...THIS is. As I said, I'm not a good public speaker, so I'll have to practice a lot and do multiple takes. This suggestion is a great reminder. Thanks.

Spoiler: JochemDude's suggestions

Pro tip 1
Dude you're gonna need to do a lot of networking, you need to know the right people. You don't wanna end up like the so many Let's Players out there with 500 videos and 200 subscribers. Ride the fame of other people, by doing Co-op, multiplayer and such with popular Let's Players.

I'm not expecting to get a thousand subscribers overnight. I'm a level-headed person. I'll start small, and then when I gain some footing, I'll ask other LPers if they'd like to collaborate with me, and ask that they feature the collab on their channel.

On a side note, don't do post commentary. LP's you watch for who's doing them, it's the hilarity of the moments and the problems that you have that make them interesting to watch.

Unfortunately, I'm firmly sticking with that decision. As I said, I'm not really a good public speaker, and I'd prefer to have my stuff scripted, in order to avoid a poorly executed commentary. You got to the party a little too late on this one.

Thanks for the advice and examples so far, everyone. Your support really means a lot.

 

[andreas3K]

Don't talk about irrelevant shit like what you did at school or work, it's really boring.

Make sure your voice has changed. No-one likes to listen to squeaky-voiced kids.

You should probably not put your mic too close to your mouth and nose. It's really annoying to hear breathing.

Be a good player. It's not fun to watch someone get frustrated, especially if it's because of their own stupidity.

Don't do a let's play of a game that has been done a thousand times.

 

[WarBossTilt]

damn someone beat me to the retsupurae post.
in that case my advice is simply. dont, just dont.

have a nice day.

 

[TheLastSamurai14]

damn someone beat me to the retsupurae post.
in that case my advice is simply. dont, just dont.

have a nice day.

Yeah. Those guys that they commented on on are very blatant examples of how NOT to do a Let's Play. I know not to act like any of them, at the very least.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

damn someone beat me to the retsupurae post.
in that case my advice is simply. dont, just dont.

have a nice day.

There's still ChipCheezumSA!

But yeah, single person commentary tends to be very dull and boring. There are some exceptions, but it's generally not worth watching. Dual commentators can do well if they work off each other, and four commentators tend to fall into the same predominant personalities.

 

[Dr_Horrible]

Well, I use Fraps for my recording (although it's having problems for me now). For a free one, the free version of hypercam is good, and I've heard good things about Camstudio. The main problem with non-Fraps recording software is that most, if not all, cannot record both windows sound and microphone input at the same time. Since you're doing commentary after the fact, there should be no issue.

As for editing, I do use Moviemaker since all I really need to do is assembling clips, adding intro/outro, and the almighty Crossfade. If you want to do more than that, I'm sure on of the suggested ones will help you better.

One thing to remember, there are two main ways to do an interesting commentary. One is to comment on everything in and about the game (no personal stuff though!), the second is to edit it so that only the interesting moments are shown. One of the Minecraft LPers I follow, Myselfoverwhelmed, has recently started to do this if you want an example.

Also, make sure that you are completely comfortable, not just physically but mentally. If you try to do a Let's Play while distracted, stressed, or annoyed, then it will bleed through and dampen the fun of the playthrough.

That said, good luck! I'm still working to get mine off the ground, and I hope yours fares well

 

[TheLastSamurai14]

Alright. First episode's out. You can find the thread with the video(s) here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.314516-Lets-Play-Half-Life-Part-1-released].